Fall 2020

 For the second half of the Alaskan Legends unit, I found a few stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. These stories reminded me of the trip I took to Alaska as a child and the new culture I was able to experience there. I found the story of The First Woman to be a cool way in which the different regions and groups of people from one side of Alaska differed from the other side. Alaska is such a large place it is unique to see the division of people due to the distances they are set apart. Yet, at the same time these different groups were seen to be united with their similarities. This second part also continued on in using animal characters which I really like. However, I think my favorite story would have to be The Boy in the Moon. This story was quite interesting because it was a somewhat forbidden love. The little girl floated away into the sky and the boy followed her there. Now being that the two were siblings, the story would be slightly off but it is a legend. The girl then beca...

 Raven's Marriage All the stories contained in this unit carry with them animal characters with funny little personalities. My favorite story from Part A would have to be the Raven's Marriage. I am always drawn to the happy little love stories I find hidden in the different units. I really focused on the way that this unit used the animal characters. I want to incorporate that in one way or another into one of my storytelling blogs or even into one of the stories I can use for my portfolio project. I think that using animals as the characters helps to add an element to the stories in a way that human characters cannot. The way these stories used a raven as the main character and followed him from one event into the next was curious. Raven was a happy go lucky guy but at the same time is seen as a cry baby when he does not get his way. The other animals throughout the story like the geese and marmont are seen at times praising the raven for the things he does. Creating character...

  The Story of the Princess Hase is one that I plan to use in my Portfolio project. Due to this story being a fairy tale and including a princess, I feel like it will fit into my theme of beauty perfectly. The background story that is given here is really good and in only a few paragraphs sets up the scene for the entirety of it. When Princess Hase mother dies there is great sadness that enters the story. Not only does the Princess's mother die, but her new step mother is cruel and treats the Princess badly. This use of an antagonist helps to bring the reader to a place of empathy for the Princess. In terms of beauty, the Princess learned to play the harp and became so well versed in this practice.  There is a great twist in the story that gives the reader shock. For the evil stepmother tries to poison Princess Hase but mistakenly poisons her own son. The stepmother was then even more enraged with Hase and blamed her for her sons death. She went so far as to enlist a servant ...

For this weeks reading I chose the Ozaki, also known as the Japanese Fairy Tales. Fairy Tales are my favorite types of stories that I have come upon so far in this course and also a big part of my Portfolio project. Therefore, I knew that this unit would help to give some ideas that I can use in my own project.  My favorite story in Part A was The Adventures of Kintaro, The Golden Boy . This tale was quite sweet and one that really had no prominent antagonist that needed to be overcome making it a happy-go-lucky easy read. I like how the story is told by an unknown narrator yet incorporates dialogue throughout.  This dialogue is definitely something that I need to refer back to and use in my own retelling of stories. The dialogue helps to give the story more depth and substance, as opposed to a singular voice in the narrator. The flow throughout the Adventures of Kintaro was also smooth and easy to read. It was a somewhat longer story but did not feel like it due to the way in...

West African Folktales I chose to read these stories because I had the opportunity to travel to Ghana, Africa last summer and therefore thought that these would be super interesting. This region of Africa is full of so many different cultures that it contains a plethora of different literature to be explored.  In these short tales, I enjoyed the way they all contained a deeper meaning. When looking at deeper meanings it forces the reader to actually read and comprehend as opposed to just skimming or they risk missing the main point of the story. These tales also contain imagry that I would not typically think of on my own. Such as using a pot to contain all of the knowledge in the world. Clearly this is not actually a possibility yet the writer makes you feel like it is. The tales were also clever naming the wealthy man 'Nothing', it is quite ironic because those who are extremely wealthy often have anything they want and not nothing. The tales also carry a common character fro...

Some weeks I choose to pick a different story to write about on the second reading assignment  in order to be exposed to more authors and writing styles. As well as, I am so indecisive and want to be able to read all the stories. However, this week in reading the Twenty-Two Gobblins Unit I was very intrigued and really enjoyed what I read and the different aspects the unit included. One of the most prominent things that really stuck out to me was the way in which each different story contained a separate story or riddle within it. The other thing that really stuck out to me was the conclusion of the unit’s Part B. I really enjoy stories where the real antagonist is unknown until the very end of the story. For the Twenty-Two Gobblins unit, you are left thinking that the Gobblin is the bad guy throughout the story, until you reach the end and learn that the real bad guy was the monk. He was plotting to take over the King’s throne but his cooniving ways were exposed. (Gobblin from Wik...

  (Green Goblin from Flickr ) For the Twenty-Two Gobblins Unit , there were so many different aspects of the story that were captivating and gave me different ideas to incorporate into my own stories and writing. This unit had a good introduction that sets up the whole unit and gives the background information to understand why the king was in the cemetery looking for the goblin. I then really enjoyed the way in which the goblin began to tell riddles to the king. These seperate stories in the unit all went together but each had very different aspects. The way in which this was done kept me wanting to continue reading and see what the next riddle would be and if the king would answer correctly. I also found it funny that the goblin character was not compliant with the king and even would run back to where he was found. I think the character set up was strong in that the king was a protagonist to an extent and the goblin the antogonist, yet they did not seem to be completely fighting...

 Aladdin One of my all time favorite stories as a kid, and even know, was Aladdin. I have watched this movie more times than I can count, seen the play and even been in a musical production of Aladdin. Interestingly enough, I had never even read the actual thing. I have read the Disney account of course, but never this version.  I enjoyed reading the original version and making note of the differences between the two to see ways in which one could alter a story: Aladdin still had a mother Aladdin wasn't a homeless thief but an idle boy A magacian posing as his uncle came to make him retrieve the lamp There was not Abu, the monkey Aladdin walked down into a corrider with three doors and not into a sand enclosure shaped as a lion Aladdin had a second genie from the ring Aladdin saw the princess's face as she was going to bathe instead of saving her on the streets when she was dressed as a commoner Aladdin went to the Sultan for permission to marry his daughter and did not act li...

Many of the different stories that are contained in Part B were enlightening and gave me many different ideas on writing styles and different characters that I go change up and use as my own. The beautiful woman is someone that would be great to use in my own storybook as she has such a dominating character with multiple aspects.  However, what I really focused in on in this part of the readings was the final story and how it was wrapped up. The ending was somewhat different than I had imagined as I read along. The end wraps everything up very cleanly and in a suprising way. For one, I think it is perfect how the donkey who had seen his fate coming and the death he was to face chose not to give up. At first I had almost thought the princess was out of luck and then to my imagine the donkey came to the rescue. It was also ironic that a donkey was saving the princess. In the majority of fairytales the princess is saved by a prince or some savior and they ride of to live happily ever ...

These stories come from the  Noah  unit. The first story source:  The King James Bible  (1611) Genesis and the the second is Louis Ginzberg  The Legends of the Jews  (1990) The second half, or part B, of the Noah unit was interesting. This section laid out where information came from and was a description of the way things worked. The stories all came from The Legends of the Jews which were adapted from The King James Bible.  The angel that Louis Ginzberg talks of in the first two stories of this section is a character that I may like to draw from. This angel, Samuel, was almost all knowing and had power due to his knowledge. I think a story would be told well and in a unique way if I were to create a character or orchestrates the events and is almost like a narrator for the entirety of the story. It would almost be a character who has previous knowledge of the end or outcome and yet gently nudges along the main characters from the beginning to the end...

These stories come from the Noah  unit. The first story source: The King James Bible (1611) Genesis and the the second is Louis Ginzberg The Legends of the Jews I chose this weeks readings because most of these are stories I have grown up reading and learning but never ones that I stopped and looked at the literature elements they contained. For the most part, the way that The King James Bible is written is somewhat confusing due to the language they use in it that we do not. I do like how the book of Genesis describes in great detail the events that are occuring without using to many words. Many descriptions are consice yet very specific. I am not sure that these are the particular stories that I would want to redo. However those written by Louis Ginzberg were slightly easier to read and follow along with as he himself has rewritten many of the stories one could find in The King James Bible in a way that is easier for the average person to read without the need for previous know...

Fairy Tale: Beauty and the Basilisk Story Source :  The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922). This story is one that is full of multiple different twists that I would have never imagined before reading it. This is the type of story that I want to display, full of twists and turns that will keep a reader on edge. When I read, I am constantly trying to figure out what the end is going to look like. My favorite stories are those where I think I have figured it out and then am completely shocked when I reach the end and it is completely different than anything I could have imaginied. This story is very unique in the way that the daughter is used as payment for the roses and ends up married in an elegant wedding. Image Information: Basilisk by Friedrich Johann Justin Bertuch (1747-1822).

Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: ___Noah______ Week 4: ___Adam & Eve______ Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: ___Sinbad______ Week 6: ___Santal______ Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: ___Ozaki______ Week 9: ___Congo______ Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: ___Cherokee______ Week 11: ___Blackfoot______ Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: ___Celtic Tales______ Week 13: ___Alice in Wonderland______ Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: ___Crane______ Week 15: ___Infero______ I am really excited for all the different weeks and the stories that are available in them. Reading is one of my favorite things to do and it was hard to just pick two from every topic. I will most definitly be reading more of the stories that we could choose from just for fun. ( Reading Girl )